New Beginnings
by Cracka-Lacking
Summary: Harry and Hermione go back to Hogwarts for their 7th and final year. Without Ron, and with the threat of Harry's imminent demise behind them things can only change for the better. HP/HG, Weasley Bashing and eventual mature content.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did Ron wouldn't have been one of the trio, he would be an off-to-the-side comedic relief character like most of the boys in Harry's dorm. He is a self centered idiot. **

**Summary: Harry and Hermione go back to Hogwarts for their 7****th ****and final year. Without Ron, and with the threat of Harry's imminent demise behind them things can only change for the better.**

**A/N: Another Harry and Hermione story. And this time they're older so I can play around with them more, without the shocked gasps. Haha, someone even reviewed and asked if I was on Crack…The answer is no, do you think it will help? (kidding) **

**Also should tell you… Fred is not dead. I refuse, it is wrong and unnatural and I won't allow it. (Just so you don't go "huh?" when he is casually mentioned or you notice the Weasley clan isn't in despair.) **

**NEW BEGINNINGS**

**By Cracka-Lacking**

Chapter 1: New Beginnings

"Are you ready for this?" Harry asked Hermione. They were facing the barrier between platforms 9 and 10 at Kings Cross Station, each buzzing with nerves.

Hermione was thinking about how strange it would be without Ron. He had decided not to follow them for their last year, the Ministry had offered them all positions as Trainee Auroras, but only Ron had taken it up. Harry and Hermione wanted to finish school first.

Harry was also thinking about how strange it was without Ron, but also how strange it was that he didn't have Hedwig's cage, and that he was now allowed to do magic so his trunk was in one of the pockets of his jeans.

"I'm ready Harry" Hermione replied and without thinking about it they joined hands and started jogging together towards the barrier, slipping through quickly and silently with the scarlet steam engine greeting them on the other side.

"It feels like years since we did this." Harry said, pulling Hermione into the crowd and quickly towards the train. He could feel the stares on both of them as people started to realise who had just come onto the platform. "Don't see why you wouldn't wear the invisibility cloak, Mione. It would have at least saved the stares until we got onto the train."

"That'd give us, what? Fifteen minutes?" Hermione shook her head "Better not to bother, and we hardly fit under the cloak anymore, you may not have noticed but we aren't eleven any longer Harry." They had made it through the crowds by this point and were looking for an empty compartment.

"Yes, amazingly enough I had noticed we were no longer eleven, something to do with a deeper voice and having to shave my face every two days." Harry joked. Finding an empty compartment at the back of the train they settled themselves by the window.

"Thanks for the puberty details Harry, it's something I really needed." Hermione replied sarcastically. "And you don't need to tell me about the shaving, I lived in a tent with you for half a year, you aren't the cleanest of blokes."

"Hey come on! Ron was a whole lot worse than me. I'm used to cleaning up after myself from living with my aunt and uncle. Unlike Ron, who I'm pretty sure Mrs Weasley did everything for before he got to that tent." Harry protested.

"I still remember that first night, I said I'd get dinner and he looked at me like I was about to produce roast beef out of my wand like his mum seems to. He was so disappointed with the sandwiches I made I thought he was going to cry." Hermione and Harry both chuckled, remembering Ron's outburst.

"It's going to be really weird without him this year." Hermione said after a short silence.

"Yeah, more library, less Quidditch pitch." Harry mumbled with a grin. Hermione glared at him.

"Well I shouldn't have to study quite as hard this year as there isn't the threat of your imminent death hanging over both our heads. And as we've turned down the head boy and girl positions it should be a much more relaxed year." Hermione replied, before smiling at him cheekily. "All we need is for you to stay out of life threatening situations and we will have our first ever normal year."

"Ha ha, you think you're so funny don't you?" Harry replied, rolling his eyes. "It's not like I invite trouble."

"Are you kidding? You seem to put out a welcome mat and have trouble in for tea." Hermione laughed.

Before Harry could reply the compartment door opened and Neville poked his head in.

"There you guys are, it was being talked about up and down the train but we weren't sure if it was just a rumour." Neville said "Can we sit with you?"

"Of course you can Neville, but who's 'we'?" Harry asked, beckoning him in. Neville opened the door all the way and stepped in, followed closely by Luna and, to Harry's surprise Ginny.

Harry hadn't seen Ginny since his Birthday party. It had been held, as usual, at the Burrow. Only with the amount of people and alcohol there it was more of a 'we are alive and we are going to drink a large amount of Fire Whisky to prove it' party.

FLASHBACK

Harry had been sitting quietly in a corner with Hermione and Neville, none of them really wanting all the attention that they received when they stepped out into the open.

Ron on the other hand was a completely different story. Harry was reminded of what Ron had seen in the Mirror of Erised in their first year at Hogwarts. Ron, being the best of all his family, and Harry worried that all the attention was going to his head.

At that moment he had been surrounded by quite a few girls, all seeming to be listening to his every word as his arms waved about him. He had no idea which part of their adventure Ron was describing but it certainly kept them all captivated. He looked in Hermione's direction at the scowl plastered across her face as she watched her boyfriend flirt the night away.

Harry was just about to comment when Ginny came into view. She was searching every corner for him and he knew she'd find him eventually, he wasn't that well hidden.

"I'll be back soon guys, and Hermione, you can always go over and join him instead of glaring at him like that all night. Besides, by the look of those arm movements he was with us at Gringotts again." With his parting words Harry stood up and walked back out into the light, walking quickly towards Ginny, better to get the unpleasantness over with now.

"Looking for me, Ginny" Harry asked her as he came up behind her. She swiveled quickly and glared at him. 'Stupid question I guess' Harry thought, sighing inwardly.

"Of course I'm looking for you. I've been looking for you for two bloody weeks!" Ginny whispered harshly, looking around at the other guests. "Why haven't you owled me? I had to find out if you were even coming tonight from Ron!"

"Look, I'm sorry about that Ginny but…" Harry sighed heavily and ran a hand through his messy hair in frustration. "Can we talk about this somewhere else?"

Ginny glared at him a moment longer before gesturing for him to follow her. She turned on her heel and walked back into the Burrow, leading him upstairs and into her bedroom.

"Well Harry? You were just about to give me an excuse as to why you've been completely ignoring me for the past two weeks." Ginny said, turning on him suddenly with her arms crossed over her chest and a scowl on her face.

"I'm sorry about that Ginny, it was childish of me not to contact you at all. It's just… I didn't know how to say what I am now going to say without hurting you – or you hurting me." Harry replied. Sitting down on the bed and rubbing the eyes behind his glasses tiredly.

"Well?" Ginny asked forcefully, arms still crossed over her chest in anger. Harry took a breath and steeled himself. This wasn't going to be pleasant.

"Ginny, I don't want to get back together with you. I had a lot of time to think this last year and especially these last two weeks and I know you think you love me but, to me, it seems as though you are in love with The-Boy-Who-Lived, not me. Ron has told me a million times about how you used to be infatuated with me. I expect he thought it was funny that we ended up together after that but really I'm starting to think it's some cosmic joke. I am happy to have survived this war, so many people didn't. But in the end I want to live a quiet life away from the spotlight." Harry sighed and looked up at Ginny, she had tears running down her face and her normally pale skin had gone a deeper shade of pink.

"Don't tell me that you weren't expecting to go to the balls and parties that will be held in my honor, live in a large house and have your name in the society pages. I know you Ginny, it's what you want and it's what you expect but it isn't me so we may as well stop this now before either of us are hurt more." Harry finished. Then waited through Ginny's tears, waiting for her to yell, scream and deny. It didn't take long.

But in the end, Harry got his way. Leaving a devastated Ginny in her bedroom he went back downstairs to join the party. Finding Luna Lovegood along the way, necklace of butterbeer corks and radish earrings proudly on display he asked her if she could go up to Ginny's room and comfort her, not telling her why but being Luna, she seemed to know anyway.

After saying a quick goodbye to the half drunk party-goers, hugging a pissed off Hermione and smacking a red faced Ron in the back of the head Harry apparated back to Grimmauld Place.

END FLASHBACK

Neville and Luna quickly made themselves comfortable as Ginny stood awkwardly in the doorway, looking at the floor instead of at him, and Harry wasn't sure what was going to happen. Was she getting ready to blast him again? Was she going to pretend like it never happened? Everyone in the compartment seemed to be waiting with baited breath to see what would happen next.

"I'm sorry Harry" Ginny said to her shoes. "You were right, you were more of the boy-who-lived to me than just Harry. I should have seen it for what it was but I got carried away when it seemed you liked me too." She looked up into his eyes. "Can we start over? Be friends?"

"Of course Ginny." Harry breathed a sigh of relief, Hermione squeezed his shoulder before dipping into her bag for a book to read, and Neville started a conversation with Luna, the tension was broken. Harry held out his hand for her to shake. "Hi I'm Harry" He said with a grin, leaving off his last name. Ginny smiled at him sheepishly before taking her hand in his.

"Hi Harry, I'm Ginny."

**H&H H&H H&H H&H H&H H&H H&H H&H H&H H&H H&H H&H H&H H&H H&H H&H H&H H&H H&H**

**A/N- If you think it seems very Harry/Ginny don't worry, they won't be. That relationship is so wrong, but there is no reason that they can't be friends, yes?**

**So tell me what you think, I know is not an original Idea but hopefully you'll like it anyway. **

**Read and Review please people!**


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